12Author's Note: I am aware that making James easy to read is completely against Shakespeare's wishes. It will make far, far, far more sense later on. Trust me on this.
Oh, and I was reading Hellblazer before I wrote the part with Neill. Can't you tell?
In Double Knavery
Chapter Six: Translating Iago
The ride home on the train was almost unbearably uncomfortable. The kiss had lasted too long, and now the two were lost in their thoughts.
Ben couldn't stop a terrible twisting in his gut. He loved Addie. He loved her desperately, with all himself. But something about the way he kissed James made his hands tremble and his heart beat in a very strange way, and all he could remember was the shock on James' face and the way he pressed his bee-stung lips together right before he tilted his head back up to kiss him…
While Ben might feel strange, it was nothing compared to the utter uproar that was happening in James' head. He felt dizzy and confused, to the point where he almost missed his stop.
"I'll s-see you tomorrow Ben," he managed to stammer out before half-running off the train, turning at the last instant to watch the train turn the corner.
Ben sat down and stared at his hands, twisting them together in his lap, biting his lips.
He very slowly, and very carefully began to beat his head against the wall behind him.
"James? Lovely?"
James snapped out of whatever daze he'd been in to look at his girlfriend.
"What?" he asked, running a hand through his hair.
"What's wrong? You and Ben have been on edge all day, and you've barely said a word to one another," Ed looked concerned, brushing an errant bang out of her eyes. To her irritation, it fell right back into her eyes. Her boyfriend smiled and brushed it back with gentle fingers, resting his hand against her cheek, before leaning over and kissing her.
"You're changing the subject," said Ed when they pulled away. She could read James like a book as he twisted his mouth. He did that when it meant someone had managed to outsmart him. Normally it came with a sullen spark in his eyes, but with Ed, it was just a sigh of resignation. He had long given up trying to pretend that Ed couldn't keep up with him.
"It's nothing," he said, but his eyes flicked between Ed's face and the wall behind her. He was lying.
"Liar. Something must have happened in detention or something. Did you get in a fight?"
"…Yes," he wouldn't meet her eyes, and his lips went red. He wasn't telling the whole truth, and he whatever the whole truth was, he didn't want to talk about it.
"Tell me the truth, James," said Ed tiredly. The bang fell into her eyes again. James brushed it out again, eyes soft, hands slightly clenched. That meant that whatever it was, it had been James' fault, or he was taking the blame for it, at least.
Which meant it was about Ben. Because James always took the fall for Ben, just like how Ben always defended his friend against hurtful rumors and taunts.
Ed decided it was a lost cause, and leaned against James, fitting perfectly against his side, her face buried in the bony space between shoulder and collarbone.
"I wish you would trust me," she sighed against his neck. His arm came around her, and he held her hands. That was his silent way of telling her that he loved her. Ed smiled.
Addie was slightly less diplomatic in getting the truth.
"Something's wrong, Ben," she said flatly. Ben, who had been staring into space all Geography, snapped into the present.
"What's wrong?" Ben immediately looked upset, thinking something was up with Addie.
Which was sweet, even if it was missing the point.
"That's what I'm going to talk to you about," Ben stared at Addie, blinking, "You've been out of it all day, you and James haven't been speaking – hell, you walk out of the room every time he's here, and he pretends like you don't exist! Chrissakes, Robin was concerned! Robin. You know, the Robin that managed to get a car into the canteen last year by taking it apart and putting it back together again? The Robin that managed to put duct tape around the Calc teacher?"
"Gaffer tape," said Ben absently.
"Whatever! Robin was concerned enough about it that he came and told me! ROBIN. Are you listening to me?"
"Yes," said Ben, "And not understanding,"
"Some. Thing. Is. Wrong. With. You. And. James. You. Will. Tell. Me. Right. Now. Before. Lunch. Okay?"
Ben stared at his girlfriend, seemingly astonished that a girl so short and slender could be so forceful and angry.
"Addie?"
"What the hell is wrong?" she said, frustrated, "Did you two get into an argument, or a fight, or what?"
"…" Ben looked at the floor, lips parted, upset, not knowing what to say. Addie suddenly felt bad.
"Ben…Ben…I'm scared. You're putting him out at arm's length," Addie went over to put her arms around his waist and look up at him. Ben smiled, a little hesitantly, "Please tell me what's wrong? Please?"
Ben leaned over and kissed her forehead.
"It's just a fight, love," he said, "We'll get over it,"
Neill was getting stuff out of his locker when his 'Angry-Female' sense starting going into overload.
He quickly slammed the locker door, spun around, put his arms up and garbled out:
"Ididn'tdoit!"
When nothing happened, he hesitantly lowered his arms to see Addie and Ed looking at him in bemusement.
"Sorry," he said, "Instinct,"
"Right," said Addie, "We need your help,"
"Something's up with Ben and James and they won't tell us what it is," said Ed, "They both say it's a fight, but if it's a fight I'm queen of Rome,"
"And…? I mean, they're my best mates but…" he looked into a pair of drowning hazel eyes and beautiful blue eyes and immediately felt his resolve wavering, "You want me to talk to them,"
The two nodded.
"You want me to talk to Ben, who could easily break me into pieces, and James, who could…I don't wanna think about the kind of things James could do if cornered,"
The looks the girls gave him told him they couldn't care less.
"Okay," he said, "I'll talk to them. If that doesn't work…" Neill took a deep breath, "We may have to resort to Miss Heppersell,"
All three gulped in unison, when, out of the corner of his eye, Neill spotted James heading towards him.
"Wish me luck,"
"I only wish luck to someone who needs it," said Addie dryly.
"Oh, I'm gonna need it,"
"James," said Neill. The tall boy paused to look at his friend expectantly, lips parted, black eyes wide. According to Ed, this meant he was in a rush and was attempting to be polite.
"Yes?"
"I've just had two incredibly beautiful young women ask me to do the impossible,"
James raised his eyebrow. You didn't even need Ed to tell you what that meant.
"Which was…?"
"Mediate you and Ben,"
Neill received the full power of one of James' long stares. James might be one of his best mates, but Neill was certain that Satan himself didn't have eyes as freaky as James'.
"Whatever," James attempted to push past Neill, who winced inwardly and did something he knew he'd regret.
He grabbed James around the shoulders and slammed against the lockers, despite James being taller than him.
"No, dammit, you're going to listen to me! You're freaking out your own girlfriend, for chrissakes, man!"
James blinked at him, which meant he was doing some very fast thinking…and then blushed.
"Um…oops?" he said, looking ashamed.
"What's wrong? What's going on between you and Ben?" James stared at Neill and then looked away.
"I can't say,"
"Yes you bloody well can and you bloody hell will." James shrunk a bit under Neill's angry glare. The corridor was slowly emptying as people headed to class, until it was just James and Neill, "Well?"
Even to Neill it was clear that James was inwardly panicking and trying not to show it.
"I…uh…I mean…" it was one of the few times Neill had actually seen James flabbergasted.
"What happened?"
"We just got into a fight is all," muttered James, looking away from Neill's face.
"Like hell! I've seen the aftermath of a fight between you two and it bloody well isn't this!"
James still wouldn't meet Neill's eyes.
"Tell me what happened,"
"I can't," said James, eyes firmly fixed on the floor.
"Yes you - "
"I said I can't!" James, flushed and upset finally met Neill's eyes.
And then he got it.
"Jesus Christ," said Neill, hands dropping to his side as he stared at James, "You didn't,"
"What the hell are you talking about?" snarled James.
"You know what I'm talking about!" Neill yelled at him, clearly angry. His voice lowered to an angry hiss, "You kissed him, you bastard, didn't you?"
James' hands clenched, his jaw set.
"I love Ed,"
"And?"
James was biting the inside of his cheek so hard he was drawing blood.
"And what? That's the end of it. I love Ed. I don't see where else this is meant to go,"
The two glared at one another firmly. Neill's mouth twitched and he smiled, to James' shock.
"I can't chastise you, not really," said Neill, shaking his head with a soft laugh. "Not really,"
"What do you mean?" asked James. Neill just smiled and walked off, leaving a thoroughly upset James to stalk off to class.
A/N: I promise you, I swear to you that the easy translation of Iago's motives is there for a reason. We're not yet into the play itself my lambs, so trust me on this, it will make far, far, far more sense in about...two, maybe three chapters.